What Makes a Hero Stand Out

by Sloan Parker

I’d like to
talk about the hero of romance novels, particularly the type of
hero I find myself drawn to lately. Not in terms of appearance,
but personality.

I believe fictional characters should be crafted in such a way
that they pop off the page and stay with the reader hours after
the story is finished. These men can have ordinary, even flawed,
qualities that make them real, but the way in which they are
depicted, the way they move through the story, and how they
evolve should stand out as extraordinary for the reader. I think
this is accomplished best through the author’s deep
understanding of and passion for their characters. The more
passion I can put into my hero’s characterizations, the more
three-dimensional he becomes and hopefully the readers will find
themselves drawn to him.

On the surface, I think my gay male
characters are fairly diverse, but as I started considering this
blog post I realized several of my heroes do have qualities in
common, qualities that I find interesting and appealing in a
male hero:

Tough, but sensitive.I love
when a strong man lets his emotional barrier down, when he shows
his vulnerabilities, lets passion, and eventually love, drive
him. And vice versa: the man who initially appears physically
(or emotionally) weak can be revealed as the strongest person in
the story.

Fiercely loyal.A man who puts
others before himself. His priority is to protect and care for
his family and those he loves. Maybe he’s the older brother who
is concerned about his little sister’s safety. Or the man who
watches after the lone, elderly woman living next door.

Knows how to love.Even if he’s never let himself fall in
love with a romantic partner, he isn’t afraid to love his family
and friends. He may be avoiding romantic love right now, but
he’s had love in his past or wants to find love in his future.

Flawed but willing to grow.He doesn’t have to talk about
his feelings all the time (that would be too much), but he does
feel things and learns through the course of the story how to
deal with those emotions. He cares about the world and the
people around him. He’s not selfish, even if he does appear that
way in the beginning. He’s learning to accept and improve his
flaws, instead of ignore them.

This list describes heroes I found incredibly sexy. How about
you? What do you like in a romantic hero? What characters do you
remember long after you’re done reading their story?

I think those questions should be at the heart of every romance writer's
characterization of their heroes. Write characters that you are drawn to and
your readers will be too.